Kells
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
Checked against the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
15.1°C
Cool — comfortable for a shorter swim
Wave height
1.3 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Going out
- Low water around UTC
- High water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
About this spot
Kells Beach is a small sandy cove located in a little inlet in a predominantly rocky shoreline. The beach is largely sheltered from Atlantic wave action. The greater catchment is dominated by agriculture, with a mix of grassland and woodland. The coastal headlands adjacent to Kells Beach are designated as Special Protection Area. The hilly region to the southwest of Kells is designated as Special Area of Conservation. Activities include swimming and water sports. The identified bathing area is approximately 100 m wide.
This spot’s record
Kells is in Kerry, about 12 km from Cahersiveen. Kells has been rated Excellent in each of the 4 bathing seasons classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), 2022 through 2025. In the previous bathing season Kells was under a short-term pollution restriction on 10 days. That is last season's record and not a forecast for today. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), every E. coli count came back at 10 per 100 ml.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Sept | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 24 Aug | 10 | 2 | Excellent |
| 17 Aug | 10 | 3 | Excellent |
| 10 Aug | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 4 Aug | 10 | 17 | Excellent |
| 27 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Quality over the last 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Excellent2023
- Excellent2024
- Excellent2025
This water has been rated Excellent in each of the last 4 years.
Facilities & access
- Lifeguard
- No
- Parking
- Yes
- Toilets
- Yes
- Accessible entry
- YesRamp
- Dogs
- NoDogs are not allowed on the Blue-Flag section of the Beach (ie. within the Lifeguard Patrol area) between 12 noon and 6pm each day from the 1st June to 15th September inclusive.
- Public transport
- No
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Kells is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Kells has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health.
Official bathing-water profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Kells right now?
- Kells is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- What is the water quality like at Kells?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Kells as Excellent in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
- Is there a swimming ban or warning at Kells?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Kells. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- Is there a lifeguard at Kells?
- No lifeguard cover is listed for Kells. Never swim alone at an unguarded spot.
- What facilities are there at Kells?
- Kells has toilets, parking, accessible entry. Dogs are restricted. Facility information is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland).
This spot is also in
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Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Cahersiveen — about 12 km away.